The Montreal Canadiens look to be getting healthy at the perfect time. After welcoming back Jake Evans on Saturday and could have another key part of their roster returning as early as tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild.
After the Canadiens 6-5 win over the Ottawa Senators, Arpon Basu wrote that Kirby Dach is getting close to returning. It looks like the next time the Canadiens take the ice, it is with Dach in the lineup.
The Canadiens center has been out since November 15th after suffering a broken foot against the Boston Bruins. On the season, Dach has played in only 15 games with five goals and two assists, but the potential is there for him to make a big impact, like he did during the playoffs last season with one goal and five assists in nine playoff games.
Where does Kirby Dach fit within the Montreal Canadiens lineup?
This is the big question because after Dach, the Canadiens should also be getting Patrik Laine back as well. The challenge is that there is no clear answer for where these players are going to fit without disrupting some of the success they have had over the past few weeks.
The Canadiens' second line, the Kid Line, should be untouched, and this really leaves the first and third line as options for Dach, with Brendan Gallagher and Alexandre Texier likely impacted the most. Texier has been playing great since joining Montreal, with seven goals and nine assists, and even earned a two-year contract extension recently.
If the Canadiens want to get Dach on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, then Texier would move to the third line and likely bump Brendan Gallagher out of the lineup. However, with how well this top line has played, it wouldn't be surprising if Dach just slots in on the third line with Philip Danault in place of Gallagher.
There is no question that there are challenges for the Canadiens as they get these players back, but these are great problems to have. It will give the team options to build out the lines as they try to remain near the top of a very competitive Atlantic Division.